District of coltjmbia



C. MAHON.

Car-Track Clearer. No. 13.705. Patented 001. 23, 1855.

AM. PHOTO-LITHO.C0.N.Y. (OSBDRNE'S PROCESS.)

UXITED STATES PATEN orrc CHARLES MAHON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT IN FRONT OF RAILROAD-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,705, dated October 23, 1855.

T 0 all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MAHON, of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Safety Attachment to City Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

The said drawing represents a railroad car, with my safety attachment aflixed thereto.

The nature of my invention consists in a mode of preventing persons or things from being run over by the wheels of city railroad cars (used in place of omnibuses); that is, cars drawn by horses (or impelled by any other power), at moderate rates, say the legal rates of travel through such community.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Four iron bars one to each wheel or set of wheels, attached to the parts of the trucks nearest the ends of the cars, as at a and in the planes of the flanges of the wheels, one bar or its equivalent to each wheel nearest the platform and running down near and parallel to the curve of the wheel, then curving from it, as at b, and descending and making an acute angle with the rail until slightly below it and fitting freely in the groove or space through which the flange passes. These bars may be sufficient to clear the track of any obstacle if the groove or space receiving the flange be kept consantly cleared of everything which might intercept its passage, without jamming the bar. But for a construction which will insure the efficient action of my attachment, I prefer and do aflix to the end of each bar one or more horizontal and vertical shearing or wheeling rollers, as at 0, which serve to guide it safely through its respective groove or its equivalent. These bars attached in this manner above described are for the purpose of picking up and removing from the rails any person or thing which would otherwise be injured by, or obstruct the passages of the wheels. At or about the point (Z, just above the rail a hole may be drilled to receive a stick, wire or brush which shall form an acute angle (the vertex in front), and is intended to clear the rail of any small stone or like obstacle by shoving the same 0H the outside of the track.

To break the force of concussion and pre vent injury to a person who may be upon the track I propose to cover that portion of the bar which would necessarily come in con tact with such person with an india rubber or gutta percha cushion or any equivalent therefor. It may be desirable to have each of these bars in two separate pieces with a hinge joint or elbow at Z) that the lower piece may havea vertical motion upward only, which, when thrown there will by its own weight fall into the position shown in the drawing. This would allow for the lateral motion or jostling of the car. To prevent with certainty any part of a person (as the foot or hand) from get-ting under the wheel after slipping by the bar, I would propose shaping it from the point cl upward like a double plow share-the acute angle toward cthus completely guarding the wheel. Furthermore, two iron (or of other material) rods, one for each side of the car, to be fastened and for the purposes as follows, the one on either side to be attached to the floor of the car as at e and suspended in the plane of the rail and wheels on that side, to be situated between the hind and fore wheel, or set of wheels, running down within six inches (sufficient to give play to the truck in turning corners, &c.) and parallel to the curve of the former till about six inches of the rail, then turning as at f and running parallel with the rail as from f to 9 till the same distance of the other wheel, then curving up and being fastened as at the other end, making the whole symmetrical. These rods are to be supported in the middle by a stanchion, as at h, and are for the purpose of preventing persons from falling on the rails, between the front and hind wheels or sets of wheels. At the points f similar guards to those described at (Z may be attached and for a like purpose.

I am. aware that rollers have been suggested or described as forming a part of a safety attachment to railroad carriages in combination with a device which may perhaps be considered by the office as an equivalent of the bar and in manner somewhat similar to my method I therefor disclaim such combination as referred to by the sented in my specification and the accomoffice; but panying drawings.

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is CHARLES MAHON' 5 The peculiar and novel combination and Witnesses:

arrangement of the vertical and horizontal J. F. SIELOR,

rollers With the bars as described and repre- F. G. MYER. 

